Ernest tilmann



(No Model.)

E. TILMANN.' i REPLBCTOR FOR ELECTRIC 0R OTHER LAMPS.

No. 524,075. PatentedAugf, 1894.

Figui.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST TILMANN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES K.LEXOW, OF SAME PLACE.

REFLECTOR FOR ELECT-RIC OR OTHER LAMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 52 r4,075, dated August7, 1894. IApplication tiled December 1, 1893. Serial No. 492.473. (Nomodel.)

To at@ whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, ERNEST TILMANN, a citizen of the Republic of France,residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements 1n Reiiectors for Electric orother.Lamps, ot which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to furnish for bicycles, cabs and othervehicles, an improved reflectorl which is to be used with anincandescent electric or other'lamp, said reflector being so constructedthat the light of the lamp is reflected to a considerable distance, sothat objects in frontof the vehicle are clearly illuminated and thereflector and lts lamp thereby adapted especially for use on unlightedcountry-roads.

The invention consists of an integrallyspun -relector of parabolic shapewhich is provlded at its center with a socket-portion for anincandescent electric or other lamp,

-said'socket being also m'ade in parabolic shape and in such a mannerthat the foci of the main and socket-sections of the reflector Yarelocated within the bulb of the lamp.

The invention consists further of the combination with a parabolicreflector having a central parabolic socket-portion, of an incandescentlamp, an exterior casing, a glassfront, and means by which the bulb ofthe lamp is supported in position in the socket of the reflector, aswill be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a verticallongitudinal section of my improved reflector for bicycles or othervehlcles, said reflector being protected by a Aplain glass-front and anexterior casing.

Fig. 2 is a similar section, showing the reflector provided with aconVeXo-concave glassfront and a slightly modified arrangement of themeans for securing the lamp to the reflector and its casing, and Fig. 3is a diagram, showing the parabolas on which the main and socketportions of the reflectors arevconstructed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the main-portion of my improvedrelectorfor the lamps of bicycles, cabs and other vehicles,

and A2 the central or socket-portion of the same. The main portion A ismade in parabolic shape, while the center or socket-portion A2 islikewise made in parabolic shape but with a greater degree of curvature.The foci of the two parabolic portions A and A2 of the reflector are soarranged as to be located within the bulb of a mihiature incandescentelectric lamp B, which is seciired into the socket-portion A2.

The relative position of the light-giving filament b of the incandescentlamp B toward the double parabolic reflector A, A2, is so arranged thatthe focus of the main-portionlot the reflector is preferably locatednear-the outer'end of the loop b of the lamp, while the focus of theparabolic socket-portion A2 is at a short distance to the rear of thefocus 0f the parabolic main-portion A, as shown in Fig. 3.

The main and socket-portions of the reflector are formed contiguous toeach other, andare made in one piece of sheet-metal, which is suitablyspunl so as to form the parabolic main-portionA and the parabolic socketA2, the surface of said reector being silverplated and polished in theusual manner.

The metal at the front-edge of the reflector A is bent outwardly andthen rearwardly, so as to form a cylindrical surface a over which thecylindrical rim d of the glass-front D is placed, said rim beingretained in position on the rim a by frictional contact therewith.

The glass-front D may be made either of a circular plate of glass thatis plane on both sides, as shown in Fig. 1, or it may be ofconvezzo-concave shape, as shown in Fig. 2.

'The edge of the glass-front D is retained within a groove d2 formed atthe front-edge of the rim d.v The glass-front D and its rim d can beremoved Whenever it is desired to clean the reflector and the lamp incase dust should have settled on the same.

To protect the reflector A, A2 and the miniature incandescent lamp Bagainst injury or destruction by contact with stones on the ground orwith the road-bed caused by the fall of the bicycle or the upsetting ofthe carriage, the reflector is inclosed by a casing E of sheet-metal.This casing corresponds in its general outlines to the form of thereflec- III),

IOO

Iis

tor, and is made of such dimensions that it leaves an annular spacebetween it and the reflector. The front-edge of the casing E has a beade which engages the slightly outwardly-iiaring rear-edge of thecircumferential rim a of the reflector.

To the casing E is soldered or otherwise attached a metal-strip or wireE2 of suitable form, by which the casing may be connected by aleather-strip to the bicycle or other vehicle. The central portion ofthe casing E is concaved to form a shallow cup e2, which incloses thelooped or hooked ends of the conducting wires b2 which lead through thebase 'of the bulb of the lamp to the filament at the interior of thesaine. The cup e2 has at its center an opening e3 for the passage of'the conducting Wires b2, said opening being sufficiently large toprevent said'wires from corning into contact with the casing E.

To retain the bulb of the lamp B in position in the socket A2 of therefiector, the rearpart of its globular portion is made to rest againstthe socket A2 while its base or stem extends into the central opening ofthe socket A2.

In the rear of the glass-stem of the bulb, theconductingwires b2 aretwisted so as to form coiled springs that may be embedded either in alayer f of plaster of paris that is interposed between a disk g ofcard-board and the stein of the lamp B, as shown in Fig. l, or theplaster of paris may be dispensed with and the bulb of the lamp Bretained by placing the disk g of card-board onthe rim of the cup e2, asin Fig. 2, and causing the hook-shaped ends of the coiled Wires 'b2 tobear against the rear-face of the card-board, as shown in Fig. 2.

The hook-shaped ends of the conducting Wires b2 are connected withelectric wires which lead to a battery, dynamo or other suitable sourceof electricity, which supplies the current for lighting the filament ofthe lamp.

In case the filament of the lamp is worn out by use, the lamp can beeasily removed and a new one inserted in place of the same.

In place of an incandescent electric lamp, a small arc-lamp or vanyother light-giving medium may be used in connection with the reflector.

The advantages of my improved reflector and lamp for bicycles, cabs,dac., are, first, that by the arrangement of the parabolic socket at thecenter of the main-portion, the lamp can be setback into the reiiectorso that a flat or slightly convex glass-cover can be used with the same;second, by thne use of the parabolic main-portion and the parabolicsocket, the light of the lamp is thrown in parallel rays to aconsiderable distance in front of the vehicle, so that all objects onthe road are clearly illuminated and thereby a considerable securityagainst accidents obtained; third, the reflector in the lamp isprotected by the exterior casing, so as not to be injured by theupsetting of the bicycle or other vehicle; fourth, the entire lamp andits reflector are arranged in a very small and compact shape and furnisha powerful light-giving device for bicycles and other vehicles.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentl. The combination with a reflector formed of aparabolic main-port ion and a second parabolic portion at the center ofthe main-portion, of a source of light of considerable length, sosituated within the parabolas that the foci thereof are located Withinthe source of light, the rays issuing from each focus being thusreflected in parallel lines from the corresponding parabola,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a reflector formed of a parabolic main-portionand a parabolic socket-portion at the center of the main-portion, of anincandescent electric-lamp, so situated within the parabolas that thefoci thereof are located within the source of light, the rays issuingfrom each focus being thus reected in parallel lines from thecorresponding parabola, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, of a reflector formed of a-parabolic main-portionand a parabolic` socket-portion at the center of the same, anincandescent electric lamp located in said socket-portion, aglass-cover, an exterior sheetmetal casing provided with a concavecontracted rear-portion, a non-metallic disk resting against therear-portion ot the casing, conducting-Wires having looped outer endslocated in the concave, and means for holding the disk and conductingwires in position, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNEST TILMANN.

Witnesses:

PAUL GoEPEL, K. R. BRENNAN,

